Into The Arrowverse: Crisis on Infinite Earths is the most epic crossever in history

Photo: Katie Yu/The CW

Supergirl Episode 509: “Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 1”

Okay, so how do I tackle this? Where do I begin? The first two minutes of this year’s Arrowverse crossover gives fans so much, and that’s before the actual episode even begins. There is a lot to unravel here, so let’s take it moment by moment, shall we?

As the episode kicks off, the Monitor essentially narrates the gist of the Crisis and what’s beginning to unfold in the multiverse. However, this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill narration. No, siree, it’s nearly identical to how the entire multiverse is explained on the opening page of the  “Crisis on Infinite Earths” comic book by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, released in 1985. How freaking cool is that!?

Supergirl is the first episode of the five-hour crossover, and Earth-38 is where a lot of the episode takes place. Side note: 1938 is when the first issue of Action Comics came out, the issue that introduced the world to Superman. Gotta love these Easter eggs!

As the Monitor narrates in the background, the scenes flip through multiple Earths as the anti-matter wave begins to decimate the multiverse. We head to Earth-89, where Tim Burton’s version of Batman takes place. (And yes, that movie did come out in 1989.) As the Batman theme plays in the background, we see Robert Wuhl reading the Gotham City Gazette. Many will remember him as newspaper reporter Alexander Knox from the Burton movie.

Next, we head to Earth-9 where DC Universe’s Titans (along with the other shows from the streaming service) reside. As the anti-matter wave arrives on Earth-9, we get a quick glimpse of Jason Todd’s Robin and Hank Hall’s Hawk right before all they hold near and dear is destroyed. It wasn’t the longest cameo, but hey, at least we know Titans are officially a part of the Arrowverse.

Next up, we’ve got Earth-66, where the beloved 1960s Batman series took place. Don’t blink because you just might miss Burt Ward’s cameo as he shouts “Holy crimson skies of death!” in response to the red skies above him. The Robin themed colors of his outfit and the fact that he added “holy” before his sentence is a homage to his time as Robin during the beloved 60s series.

The first part of the Crisis focuses heavily on the Arrowverse heroes gathering together to make sense of the pandemonium unfolding before them. Many Earths cease to exist, and if our heroes want to stop the devastation, they’ll have to work together. but to save Supergirl’s Earth-38 along with those left, our heroes are tasked with figuring out what the hell to do.

The Monitor erects quantum towers that are designed to protect against shadow demons. However, things get a bit too chaotic, and we’re forced to reckon with something we didn’t think was coming just yet: Oliver Queen’s death. His sacrifice saved many others, but we lost the man that brought together everyone else.

Oliver is brought to Earth-1, where the rest of the heroes are gathered, to say goodbye. Ugh, the pain was too real and it felt too soon. Why did it have to happen so early?!

I’m just glad that before he said goodbye, Oliver shared tender moments with Mia, during which he basically passed on the Green Arrow mantle to her. Hello, Arrow spinoff!

Prior to Oliver’s death, we see a version of him in 2046, a version that didn’t even know Sara survived the Gambit’s crash. This version of Oliver isn’t the one we love and adore, but one ridden with guilt and shame over something that happened years back. Luckily, our Sara Lance is there to assure him that he’s a wonderful man, husband, father and friend. I have to say that I’m so glad Oliver and Sara shared such terrific scenes throughout this first part. We’ve seen them grow so much individually that seeing them come together one more time was exactly what we needed.

Elsewhere, we see the return of Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman/Clark Kent and Bitsie Tulloch’s Lois Lane. They have an adorable son named Jonathan and are living happily in Argo City…until the Crisis hits and they send Jonathan off in a pod while being rescued by Harbinger just as their planet is destroyed. Unfortunately, Kara’s mom did not make it out alive. R.I.P.

Thanks to Harbinger, Clark, Lois, Batwoman (Kate Kane), Oliver, Mia, Barry, Ray and Sara are brought together to face the Crisis. Everyone has a task to complete and everyone serves a purpose, according to the Monitor. Brainy, Sara and Lois head to 2046 to rescue baby Jonathan, whose pod went off course, while Alex looks to Lena for help.

Things are a bit awkward here, but luckily Lena pulls through. I’m not sure if I care for Lena’s anger and frustration all that much. It’s an unfortunate situation, but I think she can force herself to see the logic behind why Kara chose not to tell her that she was Supergirl.

There is still a lot of Crisis to unfold, and I can’t believe we have already lost Oliver. Literally, I can’t believe it. There has to be something else at play here, right? Even the Monitor didn’t see Oliver’s death happening the way it did. Please tell us that things are going to be okay!

Grade: A-